Car-coupling



Patented lan. 24, |899. B. W. MASTERSUN.

CAR COUPLING.

(Applcat ion filed May 9, 1898.)

arl

(No Model.)

l Il Unire STATES ATnNr Frio.

BERNARD lV. MASTERSON, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,113, dated January 24, 1899.

Application filed May 9, 1898. Serial No. 680,169. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, BERNARD W. MASTER- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Oar-Coupling, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in car-couplings. I

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ot' automatic carcouplings of the Janney type and to provide one which will be adapted to couple with the ordinary pin-and-link coupling and which will prevent a link from striking and injuring the locking-pin for holding the knuckle closed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a car-coupling in which the locking-pin for holding the knuckle closed will be retained positively in engagement with the knuckle and prevented from being thrown upward out of such engagement accidentally through the jar and vibration of a train.

A further object ofthe invention is to improve the construction of the locking-pin and enable the saine to be automatically operated for releasing the knuckle and effecting the operation of uncoupling to prevent the draw-head from being pulled out and allowed to fall upon the track and injure cars should such draw-head become disconnected from the draft mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatically operating device adapted when the locking-pin is raised to support the same in an elevated position for releasing the knuckle and capable of being operated manually when the locking-pin is raised to permit the said pin to be lowered and returned to its locking position.

Furthermore, it is the object ot the invention to provide bearing-brackets for supporting the operating-shaft, adapted to permit the said shaft to be removed and replaced without detaching them entirely from a car.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended,

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a car-coupling constructed in accordance with this invention and shown apy plied to a car. lFig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view, the locking-pin being held in a raised position by the automatically-operating supporting device. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view illustrating the manner of securing the locking-pin in its lowered position. Fig. -i is a horizontal sectional view. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the locking-pin, illustrating the construction and arrangement of the catch and the supporting device. Fig. G is a detail perspective view of the catch. Fig. 7 is a similar view of the supporting device. Fig. S is a detail perspective view of the inner bearing-bracket.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a draw-head of the Janney type provided at one side with a pivoted knuckle 2 and having the wall 3 of the guardarm at the opposite side of the draw-head arranged to form an abutment or stop adapted to be engaged by an ordinary coupling-link when the draw-head is coupled with a pin-and-link draw-head, and the knuckle and the guardarm are adapted to support the link,whereby the latter is prevented from entering the horizontal opening 4L of the draw-head and engaging and injuring a vertically-movable pin 5, which locks the knuckle in its closed position. The guard-arm of the draw-head and the arm of the knuckle form solid abutments for supporting the link and are not liable to be broken by the blows incident to coupling. The hori- Zontal opening 4 of the draw-head is too narrow to permit the end of the link to enter it, and the draw-head may be readily coupled with the ordinary pin-and-link draw-head without liability of injuring any of its parts.

The locking-piu 5, which is curved longitudinally, is arranged in a curved slot or opening of the draw-head, and as it is connected with a car 6 by means hereinafter described it will readily pull out of the draw-head and uncouple the same should the draw-head become disconnected from the draft mechanism. By this construction the draw-head is prevented from being entirely pulled out of a car, and'it cannot fall upon the track and injure the cars of a train.

IOO

The upper portion of the locking-pin is enlarged to form a head 7, and it is provided below the same with a shoulder S, adapted to engage the arm 9 of the knuckle to retain the latter in its closed position, and in order to preventl the locking-pin from being accidentally thrown upward by the jar and vibration to which a car is subjected a pivoted catch 10 is provided for engaging the draw-head at the top of the horizontal opening.

The catch 10, which is substantially L- shaped, is mounted in a substantially vertical groove 1l of the head of the locking-pin, and it is composed of a depending arm or body portion and a short transverse arm which carries an u pwardly-extending perforated ear 12 The depending arm, which has its lower end beveled to enable the arm of the knuckle to pass it readily and operate it to lift the locking-pin sufficiently to pass the shoulder 8, is provided with an engaging shoulder or tooth 13, and the weight of the ear 12 and the short arm is sufficient to swing the depending arm laterally and hold the same in engagement with the draw-head. When the knuckle closes, its arm engages the beveled lower end of the catch and swings the same out of engagement with the draw-head, and it then engages a beveled face 14 of the pin and lifts the same suciently to pass the shoulder 8. The shoulder S and the beveled shoulder 13 are formed by an enlargement or boss located directly beneath the head 7.

The perforated ear 12 of the catch is connected by a short chain or other suitable flexible connection with an arm of an operatingshaft 15,which is journaled in inner and outer bearing-brackets 16 and 17, and when the transverse operating-shaft is partiallyT rotated it pulls upward on the perforated ear and swings the catch out of engagement with the draw-head and lifts the locking-pin.

When the locking-pin is lifted out of engagement with the arm of the knuckle, it is maintained in this position by an automatically-operating supporting device 18, consisting of a straight plate or piece pivoted above its center in a slot or recess 19 of the head of the locking-pin. The lower portion of the supporting device 1S is heavier than the upper portion and extends below the shoulder S, whereby it is engaged and swung aside by the arm of the knuckle when the latter closes, and when the locking-pin is lifted the supporting device assumes a vertical position directly above the arm of the knuckle and rests upon the same, whereby the shoulder S is held above and out of engagement with the knuckle. y

The upper portion of the automaticallyoperating supporting device is cut away at the upper side to decrease its weight and to provide a projecting end, and the head of the locking-pin is cut away around the same, so that the projecting end of the supporting device may be readily engaged by the finger of a train-hand should it be desired to throw 61ans the lower portion of the supporting device out of engagement with the knuckle and return the locking-pin to its engaging position. This is especially advantageous for the reason that should a train-hand lift the wrong coupling or locking-pin he may readily return it to its engaging position without the knuckle being released. The pivots 2O and 21 of the catch and the supporting device consist of pins or other suitable fastening devices, and the former is located near the angle of the catch.

The lower portion of the locking-pin is provided with a slot 22,v adapted to receive a key, ring, or other suitable fastening device for preventing the locking-pin from being entirely withdrawn from the draw-head.

The outer bearing-bracket 17 is provided with a round eye to receive the'transverse shaft for operating the parts to uncouple the draw-head, and the inner bearing-bracket 16 is provided with an open or hook-shaped bearing 23 and has an outwardly-extending arm 24 located above the bearing 23 and inwardly offset therefrom to provide an intervening space 25, arranged atan angle to i the bearing and adapted when the bearingbracket is partially rotated to be brought in alinement with the shaft, so that the latter may be drawn out without entirely disconnecting the bearing-bracket from the car. Each bearing-bracket is designed to be secured to the car by a bolt and a lag-screw, which is adapted'to be removed to permit the bearing-bracket to be partially rotated for removing and replacing the shaft.

The invention has the following advantages:

The knuckle and the locking-pin are so constructed that the knuckle is adapted to pass under the beveled face of the lockingpin without any jar and the knuckle can be closed with but little force.

Vhen the car-coupling is coupled with an ordinary pin-and-link draw-head, the link is supported b'y the knuckle and the guard-arm and is prevented from coming in contact with the locking-pin and inj uring any of the parts.

The locking-pin when it is lowered automatically engages the draw-head, and cannot be accidentally raised and thrown out of engagement with the knuckle by the vibration incident to a train in motion. It is automatically supported in an elevated position when it is raised to release the knuckle, and it will automatically return to its normal position for rengaging the knuckle when the arm of the latter moves from under the support by the opening of the knuckle. Should the operator or train-hand, through mistake, lift the wrong locking-pin, he may readily return it to its locking position, -without releasing the knuckle and separating the cars, by simply touching the upper end of the supporting device.

The catch which retains the locking-pin in engagement with the knuckle acts by gravity IOO IIO

to retain its shoulder or tooth in engagement with the draw-head, and when it is swung upward it first unlocks the pin and then lifts the same to uncouple the car. 4The device dispenses with the necessity of employing a pawl and ratchet or similar device for holding the operating mechanism to maintain the coupling-pin in an elevated position.

The locking-pin is curved, so that it will readily pull out of the draw-head sufficiently to release the knuckle should the draw-head become disconnected from the draft mechanism, and by this construction the draw-head will be caused to uncouple itself automatically and will be prevented from being pulled entirely out of the car, and it cannot fall upon the track and injure the Cars of a train.

Chan ges in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

IVhat I claim isl. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head, a knuckle, a locking-pin, a catch extending longitudinally of the locking-pin and having its upper end located above the top of the same, the body portion of the catch being arranged within the draw-head and its lower end engaging the upper wall of the said draw-head, a pivot located between the ends of the catch and passing through the same and the locking-pin, and operating mechanism connected with the upper end of the catch7 substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head, a pivoted knuckle, a locking-pin, and a pivoted support mounted on the upper portion of lthe locking-pin and arranged to rest either upon the arm of the knuckle or the bottom of the draw-head to support the locking-pin in an elevated position, said support being adapted to be engaged and swung aside by the arm of the knuckle when the latter closes, substantially as described.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head, a pivoted knuckle, a locking-pin, a support pivotally mounted at a point between its ends on the locking-pin and having its lower portion weighted and its upper portion arranged to be engaged by the operator, said support being arranged to be engaged and swung aside by the arm of the knuckle and adapted, when the locking-pin is raised, to assume a vertical position and rest upon the arm of the knuckle, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head, a pivoted knuckle, a locking-pin having a slot and cut away adjacent to the same, and a pivoted support arranged in the slot, the pivot of the support being located at apoint between the ends thereof and the upper end of the support being arranged to be engaged by the operator, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In a car-coupling, abearing-bracket having an open bearing and provided above the same with an arm offset from the bearing to provide an intervening space, said space be ing arranged at an angle to the bearingand adapted, when the bracket is partially rotated to be brought in alinement with a shaft, whereby the same may be removed without detaching the bracket, substantially as de scribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

BERNARD W. MASTERSON. lVitnesses:

J. O. WILLrAMs, JAMES F. GARLAND. 

